Chapter 23. No good luck today.

Zorro used a shortcut to try to reach the hacienda as soon as possible without risking being seen. Toronado galloped at a pace that Zorro knew he could maintain for the entire journey, however, after climbing a rocky slope the rider noticed something strange and decided to stop.

"Is there a problem with one of the hooves?" he said after dismounting.

He looked at the horse's left foreleg, because it seemed to him that there was something wrong. It had lost a shoe.

"Horseshoes are supposed to bring good luck, but I'm afraid today is not my day." he said to himself with a sigh.

He scanned the horizon and calculated how long it would take to get to the hacienda from there.

Toronado nudged him with his muzzle, it seemed to encourage him to get back in the saddle, but he didn't want to risk hurting the unshod leg.

"No, buddy, as much as I'd like to get home as soon as possible I won't do it at the cost of you getting hurt. In a little over an hour we'll be at the cave. Mind you, I'll put off putting on a new shoe until tomorrow. I hope you understand."

The horse snorted in reply and they set off.

Felipe was waiting for him in the cave, visibly nervous.

"Your father arrived a few minutes ago, and Adela is preparing a room for the young lady." Indicated the boy by signs.

"We should have arrived more than half an hour ago, but Toronado lost a shoe." said Zorro starting to unsaddle the horse.

Felipe made a gesture of exasperation and slapped him on the arm to get him out of the way.

"If you take care of it, all the better. I'll get changed."

In a corner of the cave a curtain had been installed behind which there was a basin and towels, so that Diego could wash himself and enter the hacienda as if he had not been several hours riding a horse and fighting with his sword. He would have preferred to take a lukewarm bath rather than use the cold water in the pitcher, but fortunately it was summer and it was not a problem.

Diego put back on the clothes he had worn at the wedding and peeked through the peephole to check that no one was in the library. He hoped he could get out without anyone seeing him. The room was beginning to get dark, because night was falling.

As he took two steps forward he heard someone approaching. By pure reflex he did the same as always, grabbing the first book he could reach.

Adela, the maid, who was bringing a candle to light the lamps in the library, looked at him strangely.

"I just came to get a book, I'm going back to Victoria." he said trying not to show his nervousness.

"Sí, claro, you came to the library on your wedding night to get a philosophy book." she said glancing at what he was holding in his hand and then looked him in the eye.

Diego held her gaze, not knowing what to say.

"Look don Diego," she said as she walked over to one of the lamps to light it. "I'm going to pretend I haven't seen you here today, the same as I've been pretending for years that I don't see the dirt you and the boy are dragging from the cave on the other side of that fireplace." she said pointing to the far wall "Nor the peephole on that shelf..." she said averting her gaze to the shelf to the right of the fireplace and then turning her attention to the next lamp to light it as well. "...Where every time I dust I reposition the books so that they don't block your view from inside."

Diego blinked, suddenly realizing that the maid must have known all along. She walked over to him, set the candle down on a small side table and held out her hand.

"Give me that book, go back to your bride, enjoy the dinner I left on the console by your door a while ago, and don't let anyone or anything distract you. I know a lot of people depend on you, but in my opinion not even the four horsemen of the Apocalypse should keep you away from your wife today." she said, then took a candle from one of the small tables, lit it and offered it to him.

"I was going to bring light to your bedroom, so I'll save myself the walk and having to listen to your wife make excuses as to why she and not you are the one opening the door, while pretending you are with her in the room."

Diego gave the book to the woman in exchange for the lighted candle and headed down the hallway. In the distributor he saw his father coming out of the side corridor to which the guest rooms led. Don Alejandro stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"Just a moment, I think I'm forgetting something." he said with his back to Diego as he waved his arm behind his back for him to pass by.

"Ah, I know," Don Alejandro continued. "Before we send Ernesto and two men to fetch your son to the tavern we need to know how many servants you need staying here. Will your personal maid be enough? Of course plus the wet maid and your son's nursemaid

Marina realized that something strange was going on, but she didn't know exactly what. "Thank you Don Alejandro, you are very attentive in taking care of everything. My personal maid is enough, unless you need more servants to attend to the house with us staying here."

"We will of course prepare some rooms. I think I had better consult our maid and the cook. They will be able to tell me how to arrange everything."

Diego reached the door to his room without further inconvenience. He entered and closed it slowly so as not to make any noise.

Victoria was sitting on the bed, leaning back against some cushions, with a book in her lap and asleep. Diego had never seen anything so beautiful.